Improvement in latches



tion, reference being had to the annexed herrn@ STATES SAMUEL M. RICHARDSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPaoLVEMeNT in tartines.

'Specification forming partof Letters Patent No. @3,9%6, dated November 8, 1864.

To all whom it Imay concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL M. Brennan- SON, of the city and State of N ew York, have invented, made, and applied to use acertain new and useful Improvement in Locks; and l doherebv declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the said invendrawings, making,` part of th'iscspeclication "whereini Figure l is an elevation of my loch with the movable section of the cap-plate removed. Icig."2'is said' cap-plate detached, and Fig. 3 is a section of the lock at 'and through the latchu Similar marks of reference denote the saine parts.

rlhe naturev of my said invention consists in a movable section made inl -the lock-plate, inp combination with a reversible latch, whereby the parts of the lock itself are not disturbed by the removal of the loch-plate, as has heref totore been usual, for reversing the latch in adapting the loch-to a right or left hand door. i

Latches have heretofore been made'with a i 'device for allowing the said latch to be placed g With the beveled end in either direction, in order that the latch might be. adapted to a right or left hand door, but in those cases Where the lock-plate itself has to be taken ott' the parte ol'the lock become displaced, and can'- n not easily be'pnt in position by others than a lochsmith. Myv improvement obviates this E dinicnlty and enables a carpenter or other i person 'fitting the lock to adapt it vto the di rection in which the door opens. i ln the drawings, a is the box of the loch; b, j, 'the cap-plate; c, the `huh for the spindle that any usual character. gis the reversible latch,

formed With an eye at the inner end setting` 'over a pin, t', upon the latch-slide il., that is acted upon by the lever e and cams on the hub,

or in any other usual manner, as seen `by dotted'lines. The end of the latch-slide h is sustained between lugs or supports l 1,'so that it and the latch can slide freely, but be kept in place. rlhe capfplateb, over the latch, is formed Withan opening, as seen at 2 2, Fig'. l, so that the latch g can be lifted oi' the pin 'i and placed again in position with the bevel or incline of the end in either direction to adapt this mortise-lock to a right or left hand door, and a plate, l, (see Fig. 2,) adapted to the opening 2, is then to be pnt in place and secured by the screw 3, the lugs l l keeping this movable section of the cap-plate at the proper'position. It will be seen that this movable section is easily removed for reversing the latch,

and that the rest ofthe parts ot' the lock are undisturbed and remain properly in place.

hat I claim, and desire tosccure by Letters Patent, is-

Constructing the ordinary,v lock-plate with an opening receiving the movable section l, in

combination with the reversible latch, constructed. substantially as specified, whereby access is allowed to the latchv without uncovering the other parts of the lock, as set forth. 

